Hatch to Obama: Don't pick me to replace Scalia

Sen. Orrin Hatch joked on Monday that Democrats would hope for his quick demise if he were appointed to fill the vacancy of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

The dark humor by the Utah Republican came in response to a question about whether Hatch, the most senior Republican senator, would be open to serving in the nation’s highest court. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), has floated the name of Hatch in recent days as the type of nominee Republicans could live with.

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Hatch said that his age is a major strike against him, though he said if he were to get the job, he’d live until age 102 just to mess with Senate Democrats.

“I’d be up for the job, but I don’t think they’re going to appoint an 82-year-old man. And I'm not sure I would want to be appointed and to have all the Democrats praying that I’d die real soon after,” Hatch said on NPR. “But if that happened, I’d live another 20 years just to spite them.”

Democrats have been clamoring for Senate Republicans to reconsider their stance against moving on a new Supreme Court nominee since Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Saturday he wants to wait until there’s a new president. Hatch, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he agreed with McConnell, though he added it would be “wonderful” if President Barack Obama could come together with Congress on this.

“It would be wonderful if we could. On the other hand, I don’t think a lot of people think Republicans could support a nominee by this president,” Hatch said. “No reason to believe that President Obama will nominate a mainstream replacement.”